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Council considering renaming West Broadway

Residents of West Broadway Street may see new street signs go up soon.

A public hearing will be held Tuesday, Feb. 26 at the city hall council chamber regarding the renaming of West Broadway Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Council member John Fuqua said he put the item up for consideration on the agenda after a resident in his district asked to speak at the Jan. 22 meeting.

The Rev. Arnold Taylor spoke on behalf of a group of citizens who wanted a street in town to be named after King.

“In lieu of his contribution to mankind, we thought there should be a street in our town to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Arnold said.

Fuqua said the group considered other locations, but it may be difficult for the city to rename certain streets.

“Heaton Street is a state highway and we would have to go through the state to get the renaming approved,” Fuqua said. “West Broadway is one of the streets the group mentioned, so the council told them we would consider it, but we need to hold a public hearing before we make a decision.”

Jennifer Zufelt, city secretary, said the public hearing is the first step city council will take before making any decisions regarding the name change.

“We will see what people think about it,” Zufelt said. “Council members did not give many thoughts at the Jan. 22 meeting, but we’ll probably hear more at the public hearing. A decision will not be made at the meeting.”